Neuroscape TCG Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• The Basics
• Zones
• Card Types
  • Mainframes
    • Synergy Effects
    • Mainframe Slots
  • RAM
    • Using RAM
    • Committed RAM
    • Force Quit
    • Stability Checks
  • Characters
    • Abilities
    • Activated Abilities
    • Triggered Abilities
    • Passive Abilities
    • Factions
    • Faction Requirements
    • Gear Ports
  • Gear
    • Gear With Abilities
    • Special Gear
    • Psychosis
  • Programs
    • Scripts
    • Special Scripts
    • Counters
    • Protocols
    • Viruses
    • Trojans
    • Environments
• How to Play
• Game Setup
• Turn Structure
  • Initialize Phase
  • Deploy Phase
  • Combat Phase
  • Reset Phase
• Deckbuilding Rules
  • Sideboards
  • Iconic Cards
• Swift Checks
• The Cache
  • Cache Example 1
  • Cache Example 2
  • Cache Example 3
• Targets
• Control & Ownership
• Copying Characters
• Copying Programs & Abilities
• 2v2 Rules
• Rule #1: Have Fun!

The Basics

Neuroscape is a competitive game for 2 or more players. The goal of the game is to defeat your opponent(s) by being the last player(s) standing.

Players begin with 20 mainframe health and 20 bioframe health.

• Mainframe (Neural Computer)
• Bioframe (Flesh and Bone)

If a player/team's bioframe or mainframe health are brought to zero or below, they are eliminated.

The last player/team standing is the winner of the game.

A player/team can also win the game by successfully resolving an effect which says that "you win the game."

In 2v2 games, each team shares 20 bioframe and 20 mainframe health. Damage dealt to either team member is subtracted from their shared health pools.

Zones

Here's a look at the layout of the play area:

• RAM DECK: A deck of your RAM cards.
• RAM BANK: The zone your RAM is installed into.
• CYBERDECK: A deck of your non-RAM cards.
• RECYCLE BIN: The zone where cards go after they are used or destroyed.
• PURGE: The zone where cards go when they are purged.
• MAINFRAME: The zone for your mainframe.
• MAINFRAME SLOTS: Slots where protocols are played into.
• ENVIRONMENT: The zone where environments are played into.
• ARENA: The zone where characters and gear are played into.

Card Types

All cards are separated into 5 general types: Mainframes, RAM, Characters, Gear, and Programs. Within these 5 general types, there are also subtypes and tags.

Mainframes

Your mainframe is a neural computer integrated into your brain.

Each player starts with a mainframe in their mainframe zone.

Mainframes have different synergy effects that become active when their conditions are met. These synergy effects give bonuses to the mainframe's owner.

Synergy Effects

Most mainframe synergy effects require two different conditions to be met before they become active.

1. The mainframe's owner must control a given number of cards or tokens in play.
2. The mainframe's owner must have a given amount of faction synergy. (Faction synergy is explained under Factions below.)

When these conditions are met, the synergy effect immediately becomes active.

If a card leaves play that causes these conditions to no longer be met, then that synergy effect immediately becomes deactivated.

Synergy effects have different operators that explain how they interact with the other synergy effects on that mainframe.

• "Instead" means that, when this synergy effect tier is active, its effect replaces any previous effects on that mainframe.
• "Or" means that the mainframe's owner may choose between this effect or a previous effect on that mainframe.
• "+" means that this synergy effect is added to any previous effects on this mainframe.
• "/" (slash) means that this synergy effect is separate from any other effects on this mainframe.

Mainframe Slots

Mainframes have 3 slots where programs called protocols can be attached. These are generally represented as slots on the top, left, and right of the mainframe.

Once all three slots have been filled, no more cards can be attached to that mainframe until one of the slots is cleared.

RAM

RAM is the main resource used to play cards or activate abilities.

• RAM is installed directly from your RAM deck into your RAM bank. It is never held or played from your hand.
• During the draw/install step of your initialize phase, if your RAM deck isn't empty, you may install up to 2 RAM.
• There are also card effects which allow you to install additional RAM outside of your draw/install step.
• There is no limit to the number of RAM cards you can install each turn.
• When a card says to set a RAM cost to N, that RAM cost becomes and stays N until another effect changes it or until it moves to the recycle bin, purge, hand, or cyberdeck.

Using RAM

• To use RAM, you RUN it by rotating it 90° clockwise. Refreshed RAM is ready to use; running RAM has been used.
• RAM costs for cards and abilities are paid for by running RAM in your RAM bank.
• At the beginning of each turn, during the Initialize stage, you refresh all of your running RAM by rotating it back vertically so that it can be used again.

Committed RAM

• RAM used to play characters is committed to that character.
• Committed RAM is moved from the RAM bank and placed under the character. It stays there until the character or the RAM leaves play.
• If the character leaves play, the committed RAM returns to its owner's RAM bank running (unless the character was force quit).
• If RAM committed to a character leaves play, or if a card effect increases the cost of a character, then any RAM in that player's RAM bank is automatically committed to that character to replace the missing amount (if possible). Refreshed RAM is used first, then running RAM is used after.
• If there's not enough RAM in your RAM bank to replace the missing amount, then you must move as much as you have. The character will remain in play with missing RAM. If you are unable to replace this missing RAM before your next initialize phase, it will trigger instability (see Stability Checks).
• If a card which was increasing the RAM cost of a character leaves play, the excess RAM which was committed to pay that increased cost is immediately returned to its owner's RAM bank running.

Force Quit

• Characters, gear, and programs can be force quit by their controller during the force quit step of their initialize phase. This is the only time that players are allowed to force quit cards.
• When a card is force quit, it is destroyed, meaning it is sent to its owner's recycle bin.
• Any RAM that was committed to a card that is force quit is immediately put into its owner's RAM bank refreshed. (This is different from how RAM normally returns to the RAM bank when a card is destroyed.)

Stability Checks

• During the system check step of your turn, if you do not have enough RAM committed to your characters, then your mainframe becomes unstable.
• When your mainframe becomes unstable, you must perform a stability check with a d20 for each character and program you control.
• If you roll 0-10: The character/program crashes and is destroyed.
• If you roll 11-20: The character/program does not crash.
• These rolls are made in order of lowest cost to highest cost. If two cards have the same cost, you may choose which to roll for first.
• Before you make each roll, you must declare which card you are rolling for.

Characters

Characters are the soldiers of the simulation. They can attack, block, or use abilities.

• Characters have attack and defense values shown in the bottom left corner. Attack is the upper value and defense the lower value.
• Red attack values deal damage to a player's bioframe health.
• Blue attack values deal damage to a player's mainframe health.
• Characters are persistent. This means that, once they are played, they stay in play until they are removed.
• Most characters are part of a faction, which is shown by the faction icon on the bottom right corner of the card.

Abilities

Many characters, programs, gear, and mainframes have abilities. Abilities can be divided into three categories:

• Activated abilities
• Triggered abilities
• Passive abilities

Activated Abilities

These are abilities which are activated by a player paying a cost.

• This cost can be running the character (rotating it 90 degrees clockwise), running a specified amount of RAM, or both. Some abilities also have additional costs specified in their effect.
• Once a character has used an activated ability, it cannot use another one until its abilities are rebooted. Characters' abilities are rebooted on their controller's refresh step.
• The abilities of characters that are running cannot be activated.
• Activated abilities are swift. This means they can be played on any player's turn during swift checks, or during your deploy phase. (For more info about swift checks, see Swift Checks.)

Triggered Abilities

These are abilities which are triggered when a given condition is met. They usually start with "when," "whenever," or "on [enter/turn stage]."

• Triggered abilities occur any time their conditions are met, no matter what stage of the turn.
• Triggered abilities do not create a swift check and cannot be responded to with swift actions.
• If multiple triggered abilities would occur at the same time, then the active player chooses the order in which they are added to the cache (see The Cache for more info).

Passive Abilities

These are abilities which have a continuous effect on the game.

• Passive abilities remain in effect as long as the card containing them remains in play. As soon as that card leaves play, the passive ability immediately ceases to exist.
• Some passive abilities have conditions that need to be met for them to go into effect. As soon as those requirements cease to be met, the effect ends.

Factions

Most cards in Neuroscape belong to a faction. This is indicated by a faction icon in the bottom right corner of the card.

Some cards have a single faction icon, while others may have two or more. If a card has a blank faction hex, then it has no faction.

• Most synergy effects on mainframes become active by having a given amount of faction synergy. Persistent cards that remain in play (such as characters, gear, and some programs) with visible faction icons provide synergy of their faction for their controller.
• If a card has 2 or more different faction icons, then it provides synergy towards each of those factions.
• Mainframes do not provide synergy.
• Face down cards, such as trojans, do not provide synergy.
• Some abilities have faction icons in their effects. This can mean different things depending on the context of the effect; for example, a character that says it "gets +2/+0 for every [faction icon] you control" gets +2 attack value for every persistent you control with a Cybernetic faction icon.

Faction Requirements

• Some cards have a faction requirement, which is shown in the top right corner of the card.
• This requirement means that a player must have a given amount of synergy for that faction in order for them to play that card.
• The amount of synergy required is indicated by the number of faction symbols in the top right corner of the card.
  • Example 1: If a program has one faction symbol in the top right corner, then a player must have at least one Cybernetic persistent in play in order for them to play that program.
  • Example 2: If a program has two faction symbols in the top right corner, then a player must have at least two Cybernetic persistents in play in order for them to play that program.
• Faction requirements only need to be met to play a card. Once a card has entered the cache or entered play, then it remains on the cache or in play even if its faction requirement is no longer met.

Gear Ports

Most characters have ports for attaching gear.

There are four different types of gear ports:

• Head
• Left Arm
• Right Arm
• Body

Not all character cards have four gear ports; some may have less than four, and others may even have none.

Gear

Gear are a card type that can be attached to a character you control. They generally provide bonuses to characters or give them new abilities.

• Gear has head, arms, or body ports that connect with corresponding character gear ports.
• This means that gear with a port on top of the card attaches to the body port on the bottom of a character.
• Each gear port has a level from 1–3. This is noted by the number of gold tabs:
  • 1 tab = Level 1 (LVL 1)
  • 2 tabs = Level 2 (LVL 2)
  • 3 tabs = Level 3 (LVL 3)
• In order to attach gear to a character, the character must have an open corresponding port that is the same level or higher than the gear being attached.
• Example: A character with a LVL 1 arm port may attach gear with a LVL 1 arm port, but they may not attach gear with a LVL 2 arm port.
• When gear is put on the cache, a valid character must be targeted. When it resolves, it becomes attached to that character.
• If a character leaves play, all gear attached to it is destroyed.
• RAM does not need to be committed to gear.

Gear With Abilities

• Some gear give characters activated abilities. These activated abilities become part of the character as long as the gear is attached. They follow the same rules as other activated abilities on characters.
• This means that, if a character activates an ability it was given by attached gear, it may not activate another ability until its abilities have been rebooted.
• If gear leaves play, then the character it was attached to immediately loses any abilities that were given by that gear.

Special Gear

• Tethers are a special type of gear that connect two characters via their gear ports. The effect of this connection is unique to each tether card.
  • If one of the attached characters leaves play, then the tether follows it.
  • If one of the attached characters changes controllers, then the tether is destroyed.
• Some gear have the keyword MALICIOUS. Malicious gear can be attached to any character in play, not just characters you control. Malicious gear often gives attached characters negative effects.

Psychosis

• Some gear have the keyword PSYCHOSIS. This keyword is preceded by a number that describes the amount of psychosis that gear gives the character it's attached to.
• Whenever a character with PSYCHOSIS attacks or runs, their controller must first make a psychosis check by rolling a d20.
• If they roll equal to or higher than the character's total psychosis value, then they pass and the attack or ability proceeds as usual.
• If they roll less than the character's total psychosis, then that character immediately deals their attack value as damage to their controller, and the attack or action they were trying to perform fails.
• Failing an attack means that the attack never happens. If the character was run to declare the attack, it remains running.
• Failing an ability means the ability never happens and is not added to the cache. Costs for activating abilities are paid before the psychosis check is made and are not reversed if it fails.

Programs

Programs represent a variety of digital processes that can be used for everything from split-second responses to arena-altering effects. They can be divided into three main subtypes:

• Scripts
• Protocols
• Environments

Scripts

• Scripts are programs with a one-time effect that can be played during the deploy phase of your turn.
• Once resolved, scripts are put into your recycle bin.
• Some scripts have the SWIFT keyword. This means that, in addition to your deploy stage, they can be played on any player's turn during windows known as swift checks (see Swift Checks).

Special Scripts

• Tarots are special scripts which require Mystic synergy to play.
• Some tarots can be played reversed. This can only be done when you have an active card or mainframe effect which states that you may play a tarot for its reversed ability.
• When a tarot is played reversed, the pink words in its ability are replaced by the corresponding pink words in its REVERSED section.
• Drugs are another special type of script. They function like normal scripts and often provide a benefit to a targeted character, such as buffing or rebooting it. What makes them special, however, is how their tag works in conjunction with other cards.

Counters

• Counter is a unique mechanic that appears predominantly on scripts, although it can appear elsewhere.
• When a card is countered, it is removed from the cache and does not resolve; instead, it is sent to its owner's recycle bin. The cache is covered in more detail under The Cache.

Protocols

• Protocols are persistent programs that can be attached to open mainframe slots. They provide passive effects while attached.
• Protocols can only be played during your deploy phase.
• A protocol can only be played if there is an open mainframe slot to attach it to.
• By default, protocols can only be attached to open slots on your mainframe, unless they direct you to "attach to target player's mainframe."

Viruses

• Viruses are a special class of protocol that can be attached to any player's mainframe, though you'll generally want to attach them to an opponent's. Their passive abilities are usually negative and apply only to the player whose mainframe they're attached to.

Trojans

• Trojans, like viruses, are a special class of protocol which can be attached to any player's open mainframe slot. But, unlike viruses, they have the TROJAN keyword that requires them to be attached face down.
• Trojans have an activated ability that can be used on any swift check after the turn they were played. When they're activated, they are turned face up. They are put into the recycle bin as part of the cost of activating the ability.
• All trojans cost 2 RAM to play, but some have additional costs to activate.
• Face down cards don't provide faction synergy.

Environments

• Environments are programs which change the environment of the simulation to create global effects for all players.
• Environments can only be played during your deploy stage.
• There can only be one environment card in play at a time.
• If there is already an environment in play as another environment resolves, the first is destroyed.
• An environment provides faction synergy to the player who controls it.
• Most environments have passive or triggered abilities. Their triggered abilities usually apply to the active player.

How to Play

Now that we've gone over all the different types of cards and what they do, let's take a look at the structure of a game!

Game Setup

• Each player has a cyberdeck (which contains non-RAM cards), a RAM deck (which contains RAM cards), and a mainframe. Both decks must be thoroughly shuffled and placed face down before the game begins.
• Player turn order is determined by rolling a d20 until one player rolls higher. In 1v1 games, the player who rolls higher may choose to go first or second. In 2v2 games, teammates add their rolls together, then the team with the highest total may choose to play first or second. The team going first chooses which teammate will play first, and turn order follows in a figure 8 shape (you, opponent facing you, teammate, then opponent facing your teammate).
• All players draw 5 cards from their cyberdeck to start the game. After looking at their hand, each player may choose to perform a mulligan.
• To do this, select any number of cards in your hand and put them on the bottom of your cyberdeck in any order, then draw that many cards to replace them. These mulligans happen one at a time in turn order and each player may only mulligan once.
• The player going first only draws or installs one card on their first turn. On the following turns, players draw/install two cards.

Turn Structure

Each turn consists of the following phases and steps:

• Initialize
  • System Check
  • Refresh
  • Draw/Install (a total of 2 cards from your RAM deck and/or your cyberdeck)
  • Force Quit
• Deploy
  • Deploy characters/programs/gear and activate abilities.
  • Check for all card effects that say "ON NETCHECK."
• Combat
  • Swift Check
  • Declare Attackers
  • Swift Check
  • Declare Blockers
  • Swift Check
  • Combat Damage (is dealt)
  • End of Combat
• Reset
  • "On turn end" triggers occur.
  • Damage is cleared from characters.
  • "Until turn end" effects cease.
  • The turn is passed to the next player.

Initialize Phase

The initialize phase is broken into 4 steps:

• System Check: If you don't have enough RAM committed to the characters you control, then you must perform a stability check.
  • Any card abilities that say "ON SYSTEM CHECK" occur.
• Refresh: Refresh all persistents you control and reboot their abilities, including RAM in your RAM bank.
• Draw/Install: You may draw/install a total of 2 cards from your cyberdeck and/or your RAM deck in any combination.
  • This means that you may choose to draw 2 from your cyberdeck, install 2 from your RAM deck, or draw/install 1 from each.
  • If this is the very first turn of the game, the player going first may only draw or install 1 from either deck.
  • You may make each of these draw/install actions separately, meaning you may choose to draw a card from your cyberdeck, look at it, and then decide if you want to draw another card or install RAM with your second action.
  • Installed RAM is immediately put into play refreshed. (The only exception to this is if you control a character which does not have enough RAM committed to it; in that case, the installed RAM is automatically committed to that character.)
• Force Quit: You may choose to force quit any characters, programs, or gear you control.
  • RAM committed to a character that is force quit immediately moves to its owner's RAM bank refreshed.

Deploy Phase

• Deploy: During this phase, you may play any character, program, or gear cards, and you may activate any abilities.
• Netcheck: All players check for abilities that trigger on netcheck.

Combat Phase

The combat phase is broken up into the following steps:

• Swift Check
• Declare Attackers: The active player declares which refreshed characters they wish to attack with. All declared attackers are run (turned 90° clockwise).
  • A player may not attack themselves or their teammates.
  • When a character with PSYCHOSIS is declared as an attacker, it runs, then its controller must make a psychosis check. If the character fails the psychosis check, then it remains running, but is no longer attacking.
• Swift Check
• Declare Blockers: Players who are being attacked or who have a teammate that is being attacked may choose to block those attacks with eligible characters. To be eligible to block, characters must not be running or have any effects that state they can't block. The defending player may assign multiple characters to block a single character if they wish.
  • No phantom blocking. If a player declares a blocker and that blocker is then run or leaves play before the combat damage step, the character they were blocking is no longer blocked.
• Swift Check
• Combat Damage: All damage to players, attackers, and blockers is dealt at the same time.
  • If an attacking character is blocked by multiple characters, then the controller of the attacking character may choose to assign its full damage to the blocking characters in whatever way they wish.
  • Attacking characters that are not blocked deal their attack damage to the player they attacked.
    • Mainframe damage is dealt to a player's mainframe health. Bioframe damage is dealt to a player's bioframe health.
  • If an attacking character with the OVERRUN keyword was blocked, then any damage greater than the total defense of the blocking character(s) is dealt to the attacked player's health.

Reset Phase

The reset phase is broken into 4 steps:

• "On turn end" abilities are triggered.
• All damage that has been dealt to characters is cleared.
• "Until turn end" effects end.
• The turn is passed to the next player.

Deckbuilding Rules

Building your own custom deck is one of the most fun parts of playing Neuroscape! Every constructed deck must contain the following:

• A mainframe card.
• A cyberdeck containing 50–255 non-RAM and non-mainframe cards.
• A RAM deck containing exactly 25 RAM cards.
• A sideboard containing up to 12 non-RAM cards and up to 1 additional mainframe. Your sideboard may contain 0 cards if you wish, however.

Some things to note:

• A cyberdeck and sideboard combined can only contain up to 4 copies of any given card (unless otherwise stated on the card).
• Although only one copy of any given iconic card may be under your control at a time, a cyberdeck and sideboard can contain up to 4 copies, just like any other card!

Sideboards

• Players may have a sideboard of up to 12 non-mainframe cards and up to 1 additional mainframe.
• In multi-game matches, after each game, players have the opportunity to modify their deck using the 13 cards in their sideboard. They may add, remove, or swap cards between their cyberdeck, their mainframe, and their sideboard.
• The modified deck must still follow all the deckbuilding rules outlined above. A player may only ever begin a game with one mainframe in play.
• Players may not have more than 4 copies of any given card in a deck, including the cards in their sideboard.

Iconic Cards

• Some cards have the word "iconic" in their typeline.
• Each player may only control one copy of any given iconic in play at the same time.
• A cyberdeck may contain up to 4 copies of any given iconic card, just like any other card.
• If an iconic is in play under a player's control, that player may not play another copy of it.
• A player may not create an iconic copy of an iconic persistent. If a card instructs a player to do so, the effect is ignored for that persistent.
• A player may not gain control of a copy of an iconic they already control. If a card instructs a player to do so, the effect is ignored for that persistent.
• If an effect would put multiple copies of the same iconic into play under a player's control, they choose only one copy if they do not already control a copy of that iconic. The rest are ignored.

Swift Checks

• Whenever a player plays a card or activates an ability, and during certain steps of combat, a swift check occurs.
• A swift check is a window of opportunity for players to respond to cards and abilities on the cache, as well as steps of combat, with a swift action of their own. (See Combat Phase for when swift checks occur during combat.)
• Swift actions include all activated abilities and any cards with the SWIFT keyword.

The Cache

• The cache is the system which determines the order in which actions resolve. When a player performs a swift action during a swift check, that swift action is added on top of whatever created the swift check to begin with. Another swift check is then created.
• The next player in turn order then gets a chance to respond with a swift action of their own. If they do, this new swift action is added to the top of the cache.
• This continues until all players pass consecutively.
• The cards and abilities on the cache then resolve from top to bottom, that is, in the reverse order that they were played or activated.
• A helpful way to remember this is "Last in, first out," or LIFO.

Cache Example 1

Let's take a look at a few examples of these rules in action!

It's Player A's deploy phase. They decide to activate the "SCRAP HEAP" ability on their SCRAPPER. This causes SCRAPPER to run. "SCRAP HEAP" enters the cache and a swift check occurs.

Player B decides to respond by playing OVERLOAD MK. I, targeting Player B's SCRAPPER character. OVERLOAD MK. I enters the cache and a swift check occurs.

Player A has no more plays to make, so they pass.

Player B also passes. The cache now resolves from top to bottom.

OVERLOAD MK. I resolves first, dealing 2 damage to SCRAPPER and destroying it.

The "SCRAP HEAP" ability is still on the cache, however, and resolves, allowing Player B to install 1 RAM running.

Once an ability enters the cache, it is no longer tied to its source. So, although Player A was able to successfully remove the character, the character's ability still resolved!

Cache Example 2

Let's take a look at another example which incorporates the DUEL mechanic!

It's Player A's deploy phase. They have BACK ALLEY BRUISERS in play and decide to activate its "KNUCKLE UP" ability by paying 1 RAM and running it. They target Player B's FACELESS ONI for a duel. A swift check occurs.

Player B decides to respond on the cache with FACELESS ONI's "SILENT EXECUTION" ability by paying 2 RAM and running it, targeting BACK ALLEY BRUISERS for a duel of their own. Another swift check is created.

Player A has no more plays to make, so they pass.

Player B also passes. The cache now resolves from top to bottom.

• Player B's "SILENT EXECUTION" resolves first. This causes a duel between both characters. They both deal their damage to each other, which destroys both of them. The destruction of BACK ALLEY BRUISERS triggers the second effect of "SILENT EXECUTION," dealing 3 bioframe damage to Player A.
• "KNUCKLE UP" now resolves, but because both combatants in the duel have been destroyed and can't deal their damage to each other, nothing happens. The ability fails.

Cache Example 3

Here's another example which incorporates the counter mechanic! As a quick refresher, countering an action removes it from the cache.

It's Player A's deploy phase. They have LILITH, THE DARK MOON in play and decide to pay 3 RAM and run her to activate her "THE PATH OF DARKNESS" ability. This creates a swift check.

Player B responds by playing OVERLOAD MK. II, targeting LILITH. Another swift check occurs.

Player A then responds by playing THE HIGH PRIESTESS reversed and targeting OVERLOAD MK. II on the cache.

Player B has no more plays, so they pass.

Player A passes as well. The cache then resolves.

• THE HIGH PRIESTESS resolves first. Because it was reversed, it counters OVERLOAD MK. II, which removes it from the cache. It goes to Player B's recycle bin.
• Because OVERLOAD MK. II is no longer on the cache, it doesn't resolve and can't deal any damage to LILITH.
• "THE PATH OF DARKNESS" resolves, dealing mainframe damage to Player B.

Targets

• A target is the recipient of the effect of a program, ability, or gear. A target is declared by the controller of that card or ability when it is played, activated, or triggered.
• Scripts and abilities that require a target will contain the word "target" in them. Gear and protocols inherently require a target for attachment be declared when they are played, though they do not specify this in their text.
• Cards which require a target cannot be played unless they have a valid target. If a program or ability states that "you may" choose a target, then the program or ability can be played without a valid target.
• If a program or ability says to "deal N damage to any target," then characters and players are both valid targets. Programs and gear are not valid targets because they cannot take damage.
• If a card says to "change the target(s)" of something, then it can only target a card or ability on the cache that has a target. If there is not a card or ability on the cache that has a target, then it cannot be legally played.

Control & Ownership

• The player who controls a card or ability is the player who most recently put it onto the cache or into play, by default. It's worth noting that there are effects that allow a player to take control of cards, tokens, and abilities from another player.
• The player who controls a card, token, or ability is the player who may take actions with it, unless otherwise stated.
• The player who activated an ability controls that ability.
• Cards that become attached to an opponent's mainframe or character (such as MALICIOUS gear, trojans, and viruses) are still controlled by the player who played them, by default.
• Environments and their triggered abilities are controlled by the player who played that environment, despite affecting all players.
• The owner of a card is the player who began the game with that card in one of their decks or in their mainframe zone. Ownership of a card can never be changed through game actions.

Copying Characters

• Some effects can create copies of characters. When this happens, the copy takes on all the base characteristics of the character being copied, unless otherwise stated. Base characteristics are the values written on a card or set on a token.
• When a character is copied, the copy has the same base RAM cost as the original character. When the copy enters play, the player who controls it must immediately commit its RAM cost as if they had just played it.
• If a copied character has gear, counters, damage, or any other kind of modification, those modifications are not copied. Only the base values of the character are copied.
• Copies enter play refreshed, unless otherwise stated.
• If a copy is copied, then the new copy takes on the base characteristics of the first copy. If this first copy has altered base characteristics from the original card or token (such as a different cost, attack/defense, etc.), then the new copy takes on the characteristics of the first copy, not the original character.

Copying Programs & Abilities

• When a persistent program (such as a protocol) is copied, the player who copied it creates a token under their control that takes on the base characteristics of the copied card. The player then attaches this copy to any available mainframe slots which the copied card could legally be attached to. If there are no available and legal mainframe slots, the copy ceases to exist.
• Face down cards cannot be copied.
• When a program or ability that is on the cache is copied, the player who copied it creates an instance of it under their control and on the cache that takes on the base characteristics of the copied program or ability. They may then choose new targets for this instance if applicable. Adding this copy to the cache does not count as playing a card. When it resolves, if the instance was a copy of a persistent, a token version is created.
• If the original program or ability which was copied is removed from the cache or altered in any way, the copy of it is not affected.

2v2 Rules

2v2 is an exciting way to play Neuroscape that incorporates teamwork and collaboration! 2v2 rules are similar to 1v1, but with a few differences:

• Each team shares 20 bioframe and 20 mainframe health. Damage dealt to either player is taken from these shared pools. If either health pool goes to 0 or below, that team is eliminated.
• Teammates add their rolls together when determining which team will start the game. The winning team decides which teammate will go first. Only that player will draw or install 1 on their first turn.
• Turn order is performed in an "hourglass" shape, beginning with the player going first, then the opponent facing them, then their teammate, and finally the opponent facing their teammate.
• Players may target their teammate's characters and mainframe with programs.
• Players may block for their teammate.
• Teammates may discuss and look at each other's hands.
• Teammates may look at face down cards controlled by or visible to their teammate.
• Teammates do not share faction synergy.

Rule #1: Have Fun!

The most important rule of Neuroscape is to have fun!

This is a competitive game, and competitive games can sometimes get intense, but it's important to remember that games are meant to be fun!

So, have fun, play fair, and be kind!